Hockey Junior World Cup winners eye senior World Cup, 2020 Olympics

Kolkata, Dec 25 (IANS) Just-crowned Hockey Junior World Cup champions’ captain Harjeet Singh on Sunday said that he and his teammates now aim to break into the senior national team and win the gold in the 2018 World Cup slated to take place in Bhubaneswar.

“The aim is to get into the (senior) team by impressing with our performances in the upcoming HIL (Hockey India League, starting January 21, 2017) and then aim for top honours in the World Cup and Tokyo Olympics 2020,” the soft-spoken Harjeet told reporters on the sidelines of a felicitation programme arranged by the West Bengal government here.

Several World Cup winning members have come to the city to participate in the ongoing 121st edition of the All India Beighton Cup.

Harjeet, who led the side to its pinnacle after a span of 15 years, said it was the best feeling in the world when the roof came down in Lucknow after they beat Belgium 2-1 in the final.

“It was a surreal feeling. The entire stadium was packed and the moment we won, the joy crossed all limits. We felt so proud to be able to give so much joy to an entire nation at our age,” Harjeet said.

India, in the process, also became the second team after Germany to win the title more than once.

The state government awarded each player a prize of Rs 10,000 for the historic feat.